G
Guest
Guest
Hi,
I just got my first Ford ever. I sold my 2000 Xterra, and got what I wanted for a while: 2003 Eddie Bauer AdvancedTrac. I live in MD, but I got it from a small-time dealer in NJ (through ebay…). I know enough about my cars (mostly imports though…) to avoid trips to a mechanic. I can replace clutch, drive axle, timing-belts, work with ignition, etc… Although I am not an expert, I take my time (mostly for thinking and ruling out various paths) to correctly diagnose and fix problems with my cars. I hope that by joining this forum I will be able to contribute some helpful info, but at the moment I am new to Fords and need your assistance in diagnosing a couple of problems.
My truck runs great! Tranny shifts perfect. RPMS newer go much beyond 2000 (only during downshifting while accelerating very hard) City/highway operation is perfect. Tranny shifts when it should – no irregularities. No vibrations or shaking – drive is really smooth and steady. U-turns are tight and noiseless, tires and alignment are good, no pulling to left or right. Gas mileage is OK: mostly suburban driving: a few miles on the interstate, some rural roads at 30-40 mph, little hills, few stop signs, several stop-n-goes. I’ve only had it for 2 weeks. It looks like avg suburban driving (foot easy on the gas!) gives me @14 mpg - calculated by dividing miles by gallons refueled (computer says 16), smooth highway drive from NJ shore to central MD (over 200 miles) used ½ tank of gas. On the highway I was driving at avg speed of 75mph, and the computer was averaging 18mpg (I don’t know what it really was because I never did my own calculations, but it had to be at least 16, I think…) Now not so good part to my story…
First of all, I read other threads on tranny noise, but I am not sure if I can relate them to the problem I am discovering with my EB…
Problem 1:
During normal driving, the truck takes off OK and accelerates OK. When reaching speeds between 40 and 45 mph (this range only) and when pressing on the accelerator (even very lightly…), I hear a noise resembling noisy FRONT all-terrain tires. This noise definitely comes from the front of the vehicle and not the rear-end. The front noise is not a metallic sound and is rather a high tone. If I wouldn’t know better, I’d say that tires make it. However, the noise only happens when my foot is on accelerator; when I let go, it stops. When I let it roll down a hill in neutral, and when it reaches 40-45 mph, and don’t hear this noise, so I am concluding it’s not the tires. Tranny fluid looks good, no leaks. The noise at 40-45 mph is not directly related to which gear the tranny is in at the moment; I mostly tested in 2H, switching to 4AWD made no difference. All other driving speeds are fine: no winding sound. When cruising on the highway at higher speeds, no noises or vibration. To conclude I don’t think that this noise is normal and should be present. At the same time I understand that it will take a miracle to have it correctly diagnosed and fixed by a Ford dealer.
Problem 2:
When accelerating (any speed, any gear) I hear a little knocking, almost like noisy valve lifters. The engine when disconnected from the drive train (tranny in N) doesn’t make any knocking sounds, so again related to something in the drive train… When I roll down driver’s side window, I don’t hear anything abnormal. This knocking sound can be best described as something like ½ oz metal hammer occasionally hitting something in the drive train and combined with a low gargle sound (?..) It comes from the underneath the front- tranny area – at least that’s how a perceive it…
I have no idea if those 2 problems are related, and what may be causing them. I knew that by buying a used truck I will most likely inherit someone else’s problems but still took a chance…
I really appreciate if any of you guys took time to read through this message. I will be very thankful for any suggestions that may contribute to diagnosing of those problems. Tom
I just got my first Ford ever. I sold my 2000 Xterra, and got what I wanted for a while: 2003 Eddie Bauer AdvancedTrac. I live in MD, but I got it from a small-time dealer in NJ (through ebay…). I know enough about my cars (mostly imports though…) to avoid trips to a mechanic. I can replace clutch, drive axle, timing-belts, work with ignition, etc… Although I am not an expert, I take my time (mostly for thinking and ruling out various paths) to correctly diagnose and fix problems with my cars. I hope that by joining this forum I will be able to contribute some helpful info, but at the moment I am new to Fords and need your assistance in diagnosing a couple of problems.
My truck runs great! Tranny shifts perfect. RPMS newer go much beyond 2000 (only during downshifting while accelerating very hard) City/highway operation is perfect. Tranny shifts when it should – no irregularities. No vibrations or shaking – drive is really smooth and steady. U-turns are tight and noiseless, tires and alignment are good, no pulling to left or right. Gas mileage is OK: mostly suburban driving: a few miles on the interstate, some rural roads at 30-40 mph, little hills, few stop signs, several stop-n-goes. I’ve only had it for 2 weeks. It looks like avg suburban driving (foot easy on the gas!) gives me @14 mpg - calculated by dividing miles by gallons refueled (computer says 16), smooth highway drive from NJ shore to central MD (over 200 miles) used ½ tank of gas. On the highway I was driving at avg speed of 75mph, and the computer was averaging 18mpg (I don’t know what it really was because I never did my own calculations, but it had to be at least 16, I think…) Now not so good part to my story…
First of all, I read other threads on tranny noise, but I am not sure if I can relate them to the problem I am discovering with my EB…
Problem 1:
During normal driving, the truck takes off OK and accelerates OK. When reaching speeds between 40 and 45 mph (this range only) and when pressing on the accelerator (even very lightly…), I hear a noise resembling noisy FRONT all-terrain tires. This noise definitely comes from the front of the vehicle and not the rear-end. The front noise is not a metallic sound and is rather a high tone. If I wouldn’t know better, I’d say that tires make it. However, the noise only happens when my foot is on accelerator; when I let go, it stops. When I let it roll down a hill in neutral, and when it reaches 40-45 mph, and don’t hear this noise, so I am concluding it’s not the tires. Tranny fluid looks good, no leaks. The noise at 40-45 mph is not directly related to which gear the tranny is in at the moment; I mostly tested in 2H, switching to 4AWD made no difference. All other driving speeds are fine: no winding sound. When cruising on the highway at higher speeds, no noises or vibration. To conclude I don’t think that this noise is normal and should be present. At the same time I understand that it will take a miracle to have it correctly diagnosed and fixed by a Ford dealer.
Problem 2:
When accelerating (any speed, any gear) I hear a little knocking, almost like noisy valve lifters. The engine when disconnected from the drive train (tranny in N) doesn’t make any knocking sounds, so again related to something in the drive train… When I roll down driver’s side window, I don’t hear anything abnormal. This knocking sound can be best described as something like ½ oz metal hammer occasionally hitting something in the drive train and combined with a low gargle sound (?..) It comes from the underneath the front- tranny area – at least that’s how a perceive it…
I have no idea if those 2 problems are related, and what may be causing them. I knew that by buying a used truck I will most likely inherit someone else’s problems but still took a chance…
I really appreciate if any of you guys took time to read through this message. I will be very thankful for any suggestions that may contribute to diagnosing of those problems. Tom
